Passengers travelling through British airports could be made to submit to full
body scans following the failed Christmas Day terror attack, Gordon Brown
has said.

The attempt by Detroit bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to blow up an aeroplane this week should act as a “wake-up call” for the country to ensure that Britain can prevent future terrorist incidents.

In an article on the lessons to be drawn from the incident, published on the Downing Street website, the Prime Minister said that he would do everything possible to preserve the “safety and security” of the public.

Experts have expressed concern that Britain was falling behind other countries and putting lives at risk by not immediately introducing X-ray-like full body scanners after ministers said that there were “no plans” to introduce them.

Holland, the departure point for the Detroit-bound plane, and Nigeria, where Abdulmutallab is from, have both already announced that they would be installed for travellers to the United States.

But Mr Brown stopped short of saying that full body scanning machines would definitely be brought in, saying that he would consult with United States President Barack Obama on the introduction of new searches at airport, including the possibility of full body scans.

He also claimed that the Government would expand the number of people named on “watch lists” to ensure that potential terrorists were monitored and kept away from airports.

The article outlined for the first time the British Government’s acceptance of Yemen, where Abdulmutallab is thought to have spent time, as a new al-Qaeda terror hub now posing as much risk as Afghanistan or Pakistan.

Mr Brown said: “We now know that the would-be bomber used a small quantity of explosive that went undetected by standard airport security equipment.

“We need, therefore, to continually explore the most sophisticated devices capable of identifying explosives, guns, knives and other such items anywhere on the body.

“So – in co-operation with President Obama and the Americans – we will examine a range of new techniques to enhance airport security systems beyond the traditional measures, such as pat-down searches and sniffer dogs.

“These could include advancing our use of explosive trace technology, full body scanners and advanced x-ray technology.”

Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary, had claimed that the introduction of full body scanners is not possible without the permission of the European Union.

Four £10,000 scanners are thought to be in storage at Heathrow airport following a trial, but staff are banned from using them.

Mr Brown disclosed that following the failed attack he had launched a review into tightening the watchlist system and would act on the results within days.

He said: “We have already screened 135 million passenger movements in and out of the country against watchlists.

“But in light of the Detroit incident we all urgently need to work together on how we might further tighten these arrangements – in particular, at what point suspects are added to the list and when they are deemed too risky to be allowed to fly, or leave or enter the country – and also into wider airport security.”

Warning of the risk to world peace from terrorism fermented in Yemen, he announced that a new “Friends of Yemen” group would be established in the region to help prevent the Middle Eastern nation slipping into a failed state.

Mr Brown said: “In the past week, we have been exposed to an evolving terrorist threat and reminded of the importance of a major new base for terrorism.

“These enemies of democracy and freedom – now trying to mastermind death and destruction from Yemen as well as other better-known homes of international terror such as Pakistan and Afghanistan – are concealing explosives in ways which are more difficult to detect.

“So the failed attack in Detroit on Christmas Day reminds us of a deeper reality; that almost 10 years after September 11th international terrorism is still a very real threat.

“Al Qaeda and their associates continue in their ambition to indoctrinate thousands of young people around the world with a deadly desire to kill and maim.

“Our response in security, intelligence, policing and military action, is not just an act of choice but an act of necessity."